I’m having trouble focusing. Because the internet is RIGHT there and it’s calling me. And Facebook is RIGHT there and it’s calling me. And every time I start to read something I get sucked into the hatred – into knowing I want to answer people’s petty, hateful posts, but knowing that I won’t win. I used to think that petty people were just petty online, venting bile online because they don’t have another outlet and it keeps them sane, but I’m losing that faith.
I accidentally found myself unable to stop reading as Facebook Friend TM Bob Mike, who is connected to me via a black woman, a number of liberals, a trans woman and a number of other general blue state music friends. Bob Mike is posting that because he’s white people call him racist and because he’s got money people call him fascist, etc – a long list of grievances ending with just why he’s going to vote for Trump and the replies are generally a couple of lefties saying you’ll lose, a couple of reasonable responses, plenty of gifs and memes in response to liberal responses.
I hate the way liberal culture looks down on conservative culture. The contempt, the West Virginia jokes, the obsession with white collar putting down blue collar – it’s disgusting. You see it on NPR, you see it in the snide commentary of people’s “clever” responses – Hell, I think if you’re looking for it you see it in the very culture of academia when there’s an effort to obfuscate meaning through complicated nomenclat…
Oh – wait – what I mean is when people use big words when little words will do and whether or not they’re actively shutting out the less educated, they’re acting like they’re trying to by simply forgetting that someone without a college degree might still desire to be informed about college-level discussions.
And that’s a wedge. It allows this guy to rant that everyone calls him a homophobe because he’s straight. Everything’s magnified.
But I don’t buy it. I don’t get it and I don’t buy it. He’s declared he doesn’t listen to the mainstream media… so who’s telling him all these things? I look at his friends list and I can’t imagine our mutual friends telling him these things. He’s not walking down American streets being called a racist for being white because he Lives and works in China. So … he’s choosing the sources that he’s receiving and those sources are telling him these things… or probably more likely, it’s like that trouble maker in middle school that’s whispering “see that kid over there? He totally told me he thinks you’re stupid”. You can fly off the handle.
It’s funny. I’ve met a lot of black men and none of them have said to me “I hear you hate me because you’re white”. I’ve met a lot of lesbians and none of them have said “I hear you hate me because you’re straight”. I’ve met a lot of Muslims and never has one said “I hear you hate me because you were raised Christian”. Nope. I only EVER hear Conservatives telling the world that they are aggrieved and being told that they should hate themselves and that the world’s against them and that everyone but the majority (white males) hates them and makes assumptions about them.
I dunno man, when the whole world except for the majority’s against you I don’t know that you’ve got it so bad – but I guess if everything’s always come up aces, if anyone implies that the next hand might JUST be a straight flush (metaphor strained by not understanding poker at ALL) it must seem like a personal affront.
There’s plenty of people that make assumptions about me. I guess there’s just something really appealing about someone who gets on with showing those assumptions to be false rather than listening to someone whining about being called names. But when you’re taking to heart all these generalizations sort of being cast into the world – I have the suspicion that that says a lot more about the person taking it all to heart than it does about the world at large.
I try to think of a response.
“Gosh, people are being really mean to you. That’s rough! Is there anything I can help you with? As a fellow white, straight, college-educated male I don’t think anyone’s ever called me all of that all in one go but I can imagine it really damaging my ego! I remember when people would call me names in grade school and my mom would tell me ‘be like a duck and just let it roll off your back’! So be strong lil guy! I see we have a lot of the same friends – some black, some trans, some LIBERALS – let me know which one’s calling you names and since I know them maybe I can kinda mediate!”
“I wonder how long we’ve been Facebook Friends and why? I can’t remember ever meeting you in person and this is the first time you’ve ever come up in my feed. Well, now you’ve give me a great list of introductory points about you. This will be useful if I ever have a reason to ever contact you. But you do seem kinda whiny. Thanks!”
“I see you Live in China and are very concerned about coronavirus picking back up there but feel that it’s a liberal media hoax back home in America. I’m SO INTERESTED why you trust Chinese news sources over the American ones. Please – tell me more!”
Bah. I don’t want to fight about it. I find I can’t win with those white, straight, college-educated males.
And yet, silence is complicity. See? I listen to what the internet tells me about myself too.
1 thought on “June 16th, 2020.”
Points so important and well made using either small or BIG words….
If all of us did as much thinking as You do….I think LOTS would be much better…but not everyone CAN at an effective level…so a ton of re-spewing happens….ICK!